Physics of Gran Turismo 4

[Tiranasta]

I'm yet to play Gran Turismo 4, although I'm getting it in a few days. I've heard that the physics have been changed since Gran Turismo 3. Would you say that they are more or less realistic than those of Gran Turismo 3?

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

Welcome to GT4, the REAL driving simulator, this is about as real as it gets man, sure there might be some room for improvement in a tiny way but prepare yourself boy lol evilly.

 

[Duke]

Welcome to GT4, the REAL driving simulator, this is about as real as it gets on an outdated console.

Fixed that for you.

GT4 is more realistic in some ways than GT3 is, but some things are worse. Understeer is more pronounced by far - this is somewhat more realistic than GT3, but I think PD takes it too far the other way. On the other hand, the dirt physics are a little wonky. Overall it's a more-realistic handling game, but it is not without flaws.

If you do a search for "physics" restricted to thread titles on the GT4 board (including subforums) you will turn up lots of discussion on this topic. Also, read through the FAQs above and you'll find a lot of information.

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

Huh? I don't remember saying outdated console but I was thinking it...............note to self- I don't like this guy, he reads minds. Oh man please don't hurt me, I'm just a boy not meaning to offend you Mr Administrator.

 

[SolidSnake15]

The physics in the game are pretty good, if your going fast. The low speed physics really suck though. But who cares about low speed physics!

Huh? I don't remember saying outdated console but I was thinking it...............note to self- I don't like this guy, he reads minds. Oh man please don't hurt me, I'm just a boy not meaning to offend you Mr Administrator.

Lol...I'm pretty sure Duke ain't gonna hurt ya...(unless you stand in front of his car) But he might use his mind reading powers on you!

Have a good day Duke.

 

[SportWagon]

If they didn't want to showcase the problems in their low-speed physics, they should not have created the final Coffee Break.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

The effects of wheelspin on grip are way off.

And, ehh...

Since when, exactly, can you spin the rear tires to 200+mph and have the car stay straight?

Low speed physics=off. Wheelspin with the wheel straight=off, wheelspin midcorner=off..

Oh, and aerodynamics=off, nitrous=off (300mph club, anyone?)

 

[Wolfe]

The effects of wheelspin on grip are way off.

And, ehh...

Since when, exactly, can you spin the rear tires to 200+mph and have the car stay straight?

Low speed physics=off. Wheelspin with the wheel straight=off, wheelspin midcorner=off..

Oh, and aerodynamics=off, nitrous=off (300mph club, anyone?)

Exactly. People try to dismiss the well-known flaws with the low-speed physics as pointless, saying they don't matter when you're taking a track at speed (nothing personal, SolidSnake15), but they're simply blatant evidence of flaws that present themselves throughout all speeds, affecting the physics engine as a whole.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I'm yet to play Gran Turismo 4, although I'm getting it in a few days. I've heard that the physics have been changed since Gran Turismo 3. Would you say that they are more or less realistic than those of Gran Turismo 3?

1. Lots more understeer in the 4th game...sometimes to the point of annoyance. As Duke says, this may be more realistic in some cases, but I question the fact that oversteer is now often not as present, even in some rear-drive cars. This means...

2. You can't drift as easily in 4. It takes lots of practice to get drifting in T4...it's much easier in 2 and 3. In earlier GT games, I found I could often drift (or cause reliable feint motion, fishtailing, and general oversteerish moves) on good tires. In GT4, there are less cars that will drift on good tires like sports....instead, you may find you'll need some crappy N2 tires to get sideways. Or you may need a combo of hard tires in the rear with mediums or softs up front to get more oversteer.

3. Once you get a drift going in GT4, you're often in danger of getting the front-end to "snap back" if you countersteer. Many a good drift has been ruined this way; although (again) it is probably more realistic than I give credit.

4. Trail-braking and "steering with the throttle" is largely absent from many cars in GT4 that previously were good at handling these traits.

5. Low-speed maneuvers (such as donuts) aren't supposed to be as realistic in 4....many say PD really screwed up here.

6. Many folks (including real-life racing drivers and car reviewers) say the high-speed driving is as real as it gets, without actually being thrown sideways or being restrained by a racing harness. Others (like Wolfe in the post above) seem doubtful.

7. Weight transfer, diving, and leaning is represented a lot more in GT4. 👍 So is lack (or too much) suspension travel. Although cars don't "bottom out" as much as they should. GT1 actually got this down best in my opinion, since cars would actually slow if their tires bounced too far into the wheel wells.

8. Aerodynamic effects in GT4? They're there if you draft another car, which means you'll pick up speed if you follow somebody else. 👍 Where they screwed up is: you still have all your downforce, so if you follow another car into a corner, you don't need much more of a braking distance like you did in GT2. 👎 In GT2 if you follow someone else and don't start braking earlier, you'll find yourself clobbering the nearest wall because you've lost most of the down force your car normally has.

9. More bumps and other track anomalies in GT4 (that were missing in 3). 👍

10. My overall opinion: they didn't get everything right 100% in GT4, but with over 700 cars in the game and only so much time for development, they never will. The advantage Gran Turismo 4 has over other games like Need for Speed, Project Gotham, and Enthusia is the vast library of cars you can drive. The actual handling and maneuverability characteristics of each car may or may not reflect the real-life counterparts, but personally I don't usually care too much.

 

[Wolfe]

A fair, rather complete, and rather well-thought out assessment, Parnelli Bone. 👍

 

[Parnelli Bone]

A fair, rather complete, and rather well-thought out assessment, Parnelli Bone. 👍

Thank you. I try sometimes....I doubt the creator of this thread "got" all of what I was saying, but he or she will definitely notice the differences once the game is underway. 👍

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

Thank you. I try sometimes....i doubt the creator of this thread "got" all of what i was saying, but he or she will definately notice the differences once the game is underway. 👍

True, the biggest difference though is when you play GT3 after playing GT4 sooo long, I was at a mate's place and got bored and he had GT3, so there I was. It is so unrealistic compared to GT4.

 

[jinjinweiwei]

oh the tire physics... thats why i bought enthusia. Still, enthusia is the usual suspect for dust collecting instead of GT4, just fun to switch around once in a while.